Elected Member Briefing Note 2025, No. 23
About this Briefing Note
Report by: Iain Wilkie, Adult Support & Protection Coordinator, Health and Social Care Partnership
EMBN Number: 023-25
Date: 11/2/2025
Subject: Perth and Kinross Council/HSCP response to the annual National Adult Support & Protection awareness raising campaign
Details
Purpose
20 February each year marks the start of an annual Scottish Government campaign to raise awareness about adult support and adult protection. This briefing gives Elected Members an overview of the programme of events about how this national campaign will be shared in Perth and Kinross.
Briefing Information
The Perth & Kinross Adult Support & Protection (ASP) Biennial Report 2022/24 was shared at the Council meeting on 4 December 2024. This report presents an overview of the of multi-agency arrangements to protect adults at risk of harm.
The 2025 Scottish Government ASP campaign focusses on raising awareness of the importance of recognising when an adult might be at risk of harm, and how to report this. It will also focus on raising awareness of financial harm. Financial harm can cover theft, fraud and pressure to sign over property or money. It also relates to rogue traders, online scammers and misuse of benefits.
People can be at increased risk to be harmed financially through factors such as ill health, trauma and physical or mental health conditions.
It can happen anywhere - in someone's home, where they work, or in a public place - and is often caused by the people closest to them. It can even happen in places responsible for keeping someone safe, such as a care home, hospital or day centre.
Our own programme of events will reflect this:
- From Monday 17 to Sunday 23 February 2025, a range of adult protection and adult safeguarding messages will be shared on the Council's social media platforms as well as featuring on the RTPI (Real Time Passenger Information) digital displays in bus shelters across Perth and Kinross. The following video clip (Seen something? Say something: help keep people safe from neglect on Vimeo) will also be used throughout the week to raise awareness of the need to report concerns, who to report these to and to direct viewers to the dedicated Council Adult Support & Protection resources online, where members of the public can find more information about the role of Adult Support & Protection in safeguarding the welfare and interest of those who might not be able to do so themselves. Our social media will also share the following video about financial harm: long version - https://vimeo.com/1038260207/eecb3161ad?share=copy; short version -https://vimeo.com/1040765177/b618b685fb?share=copy
- Tuesday 18 February 2025 - the Perth and Kinross ASP Coordinator will be hosting a multi-agency, Tayside-wide webinar with colleagues from Abertay University on Romance Fraud. Romance scams are a form of social engineering whereby fraudsters create a fake profile on dating platforms and feign interest in a relationship with a potential victim simply for financial gain. The impact can be devastating for the victims, who face a "double hit", suffering financial harm in addition to emotional harm with the loss of a perceived relationship.
- Thursday 20 February 2025 - the lights on Perth Bridge will be blue and white to reflect the Adult Protection Committee (APC) logo colours. Social media will be used to highlight this and share the message about protecting adults with links to how to report concerns where an adult might be at risk of harm.
- A press statement has been prepared about the importance of recognising and reporting harm, with comments from Bill Atkinson, Independent Chair of the Adult Protection Committee and from Jane Menzies, Head of Integrated Health and Care, Health & Social Care Partnership.
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